Wrecked

A mysterious stranger holds the key to Miranda&#8217;s fate in this contemporary retelling of &#8220;The Little Mermaid.&#8221;

Ever since the death of her parents, Miranda has lived on Whym Island, taking comfort in the local folklore, which claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and in its surrounding waters. Sometimes it&#8217;sA mysterious stranger holds the key to Miranda&#8217;s fate in this contemporary retelling of &#8220;The Little Mermaid.&#8221;

Ever since the death of her parents, Miranda has lived on Whym Island, taking comfort in the local folklore, which claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and in its surrounding waters. Sometimes it&#8217;s just easier to believe things are out of your control.

But then a terrible boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends, and Miranda is rescued by a mysterious boy who haunts her dreams. Consumed by guilt from the accident, she finds refuge in late-night swims&#8212;and meets Christian, a boy who seems eerily familiar, but who is full of mystery: He won&#8217;t tell her where he is from, or why they can only meet at the beach. But Miranda falls for him anyway&#8230;and discovers that Christian&#8217;s secrets, though meant to protect her, may bring her nothing but harm.

I read this book for an ending that was well to put it lightly- CRAP, PATHETIC & Yeah why not? SHIT.

Honestly. This poor girl- Miranda- has been through loosing all her friends, the boy she loves and feels that she is no longer welcome in her own school. Her parents are dead and everything has changed.

She feels like a murderer, since she was driving the boat the night everything happened.

And to top it off she now has an evil sea witch a DISAPPOINTING IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

SERIOUSLY.

I read this book for an ending that was well to put it lightly- CRAP, PATHETIC & Yeah why not? SHIT.

Honestly. This poor girl- Miranda- has been through loosing all her friends, the boy she loves and feels that she is no longer welcome in her own school. Her parents are dead and everything has changed.

She feels like a murderer, since she was driving the boat the night everything happened.

And to top it off she now has an evil sea witch after her wanting her soul.

And the author couldn't even give her a happy ending. Couldn't give us readers an ending to end our sympathy and grief? Are we worth so little.

I'm sorry it was all going OK not going to say great since nothing exciting really happened. But it was OK ya'know. Coulda been better with a twist or a GOOD ENDING even.Now I have I give it 2 stars for lack of originality, entertainment and satisfying ending.

It would have been good if Fletcher survived at the end or something. And Christian could have toddled back to the sea. But no. ...more

Let me just say right now that I didn't read the whole thing (made it to page 169, little more than halfway), but this still isn't totally a DNF for me because I skimmed the last half and read the ending. So I can, in all fairness, give it a one starfish rating.

I do not want to hear even ONE more person compare this book to The Little Mermaid. The only thing remotely similar was that the mermaid (in this case merman) saw the human and became obsessed. Oh, and thFrom my blog Auntie Spinelli Reads

Let me just say right now that I didn't read the whole thing (made it to page 169, little more than halfway), but this still isn't totally a DNF for me because I skimmed the last half and read the ending. So I can, in all fairness, give it a one starfish rating.

I do not want to hear even ONE more person compare this book to The Little Mermaid. The only thing remotely similar was that the mermaid (in this case merman) saw the human and became obsessed. Oh, and there was an evil sea witch. Other than that, this book has absolutely nothing to do with the wonderful Disney story that I love so much.

The first problem I had with this book is that it was slow. God awful, spoon my eyes out SLOW. I was bored to tears for the majority and had to force myself to return to reading. Except for the boat "wreck" 25 pages in, there was basically nothing happening. There was WAY too much filler and not enough plot. I really don't give an ass rat's about Miranda's life story or her friends' dating escapades.

The second major problem - the blaming. Okay, I understand that Miranda was actually driving the boat, but can she really be blamed for a total freak accident? The only reason that would in fact point to her was ...she was driving. Uhh.....okay? That's it? Riiiiight. She tested negative for drugs and alcohol. But I guess nobody else in this book had any logic, because she was confronted with outright hostility from EVERYONE. Even her boyfriend's parents, who she supposedly had a close relationship with. Even her teachers and the guidance counselor? Come on now. I can understand her blaming herself, but not everyone else. Sure, the thought might cross their minds, but for the school to basically suggest that she shouldn't come back? That was a little too outlandish for me.

There was seriously almost 100 pages of this. Just straight moping and blaming. Everyone acts like she's cursed and stares at her while simultaneously avoiding her. A nurse actually crosses herself - seriously? Like she's the devil because she was involved in an accident? The other friends involved hate her: one girl says, "I think you've done enough," and another girl's parents say, "Stop calling for the sake of all of us," and a guy says, "Stay away from me. Because of you they're gone. Can't you just leave us alone?" Okay, she lost 4 friends too. She was in the accident too. She got injured too! Good Lord.

Then, her brother (her own brother!) tells her she's been weird because she a) has a hysterical meltdown at a tribute to her friends and runs away crying and b) she finally snaps at her bitchy-ass grandma. Um? The grandma kinda had it coming anyway, and either way SHE JUST LOST 4 FRIENDS. I think she has the right to a bit of a breakdown. But that's just me.

Now, for the romance obsession. Oh for the love of kittens!! Miranda and Christian didn't officially meet until page 150. PAGE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY. Like I said, too much filler. Anyway, creepystalkerdude does his creepy stalking from the water, and she sees him (again). They say hi, exchange a few sentences, take a swim together, then go cuddle on the beach. *whips head around* Whaaat? Yeah, you heard me. "Hi, you're hot, let's spoon!!" Sorry but if I met some guy (no matter how hot) that was randomly out in the water of a deserted beach at night with no car or boat in sight, I don't think I'd want to get cozy with him. But maybe that's just me?

As if that wasn't bad enough, LITERALLY 18 pages after they meet, this line:Killing Miranda would mean his own soul would die. He had fallen in love that quickly.STALKING SOMEONE FROM THE WATER DOES NOT EQUAL LOVE. This was the final straw for me. I skimmed through the rest and read the ending, only to find that I was indeed not missing anything. Christian drops the M bomb, Miranda freaks out and runs away... while screeching hysterically and ripping her hair out (okay I made that up). Then, after a conversation with Coral in which she's told "that boy is bad for you," she goes running back to him...with stars shining in her eyes and her heart beating a merry rhythm (alright, I made that up too)...aaand they proceed to make out. Um? Huh. Right. Anyway...

Other irritating parts:"Well, you could have told someone. You could have talked to the police and told them what you saw. And you could have let me know. I thought I was crazy, kept having all these visions of you. I didn't know if you were real or what had happened. I had so many nightmares," she said, tears finally falling."Shhhh...," Christian said, reaching to pull her body toward his. Miranda began to push him away, but he continued to make the shushing sound, and finally, she relaxed into his shoulder.Nevermind that you're not listening to me and you don't have a reason, you're hawt! *hold me*

"I miss them. So much. So, so much," Miranda said dully. "And I just don't understand. How did you save me? Fletch threw me overboard and then...?""Shhh," Christian said, continuing to rub her back, "Shhh."SOMEBODY PLEASE PUNCH THIS GUY IN THE FACE. I mean, er, uhh...just shutup and hold me!

(in the same page as the L word confession, 18 pages after they meet)When Miranda fell asleep on his chest, he felt something tug at the very core of his being. It wasn't his heart, and it wasn't his lungs, constricting from too much oxygen. Those were all physical symptoms. This was something different, an unseen force that was telling him how much he needed Miranda, and how much she needed him.No, not needed.It was more than that, when Miranda slept next to him, in his arms, he felt that she and he were one and the same - killing her would be killing part of himself.

Yeah, that about sums it up. There really wasn't anything else happening to speak of. There's a revelation about a character 300 pages in that I figured out as soon as she was introduced on page 100something. Um, hello, her yacht's name was Sephie for crying out loud!

Honestly, I was kind of hoping that the evil sea witch would smite Christian and Miranda both and we could all go about our merry way. But alas, the outcome of that battle was predictable. And then the ending was terrible. Uhh okay? Just like that? Whatever dude. Toodles.

What the hell (I'm trying to keep my language civil, here) was that? It was a mediocre excuse for a mermaid tale, at best. Oh look, I answer my own rhetorical questions. How pathetic.

Crap, crap, this was utter crap. I cannot even begin to convey how awful this was. I cannot even begin to explain to you why I chose to pick this book up and then proceeded to actually finish it. It felt like the author was telling me what the characters felt--I don't enjoy being treated like a stupid reade1.5 stars

What the hell (I'm trying to keep my language civil, here) was that? It was a mediocre excuse for a mermaid tale, at best. Oh look, I answer my own rhetorical questions. How pathetic.

Crap, crap, this was utter crap. I cannot even begin to convey how awful this was. I cannot even begin to explain to you why I chose to pick this book up and then proceeded to actually finish it. It felt like the author was telling me what the characters felt--I don't enjoy being treated like a stupid reader, thank you very much. Yes, I understand that boyfriend number #1 (I forgot his name) isn't the love of our protagonist's life (I forgot her name too), so stop shoving your not-so-subtle hints down my throat! I enjoyed the idea behind the ending in theory ((view spoiler)[Christian and...our lovely protagonist don't end up together in the end! YES! (hide spoiler)]), but Davies most certainly did not pull it off. The characters were also unbelievable--why does everyone hate her (I think her name starts with an m...) after her friends die in an accident? It clearly wasn't her fault. Why was her grandmother so deluded, and why does the protagonist magically forgive her in the end? There was absolutely no mystery whatsoever, every character fell flat (and went splat!), and the romance was puke-inducing. It was bad. Trust me when I say that.

I could probably go on forever, but I honestly don't want to waste any more of my time on this piece of...

*sighs*

I don't know why I do this to myself--I'm attracted to a pretty cover, even though I know that nothing substantial exists underneath. I think I need help.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

I came across this book from a website called Pulse It, thankfully it allows me to read a book for free in exchange for a review.

I was pleasantly surprised when this tale of superstition of a small rich town turned out to be a page turner I didn't want to get off the computer for. I love the feel that the author was able to create, the way the town is woven, the inhabitants of it was pure genius. Coming from a small town myself I know exactly how it feels where your every move is watched and catI came across this book from a website called Pulse It, thankfully it allows me to read a book for free in exchange for a review.

I was pleasantly surprised when this tale of superstition of a small rich town turned out to be a page turner I didn't want to get off the computer for. I love the feel that the author was able to create, the way the town is woven, the inhabitants of it was pure genius. Coming from a small town myself I know exactly how it feels where your every move is watched and cataloged, where who you know and how you act can determine how good a life you live.

So I know when Miranda and her friends invoke the wrath of the sea witch Sephie that curses the island water's and her the lives of several of her friends occurs the night she is driving a boat, I couldn't help but have my heart break as she was faced with being ostracized.

The townsfolk already thought that Miranda was cursed after her parent's died when she was a child, so when her friends die on the water as well, the whispers turn to ugly glares and accusation's, that an accident wasn't so much an accident. After all, why did she live?

Miranda's answer is simple, a glowing boy saved her. Her glowing boy just so happens to be Christian, a betwixtmen who falls in love at first sight with the girl and feels compelled to save her, despite the consequences that comes with defying the Queen of the Down Below, Sephie, who wants her souls.

This book is beautifully written, a master piece of superstition woven to an ending you won't see coming. It was the ending that made the book for me, I definitely sat back in awe....more

I'm gonna be real honest.. I hated this book! For me it had so many wth moments and not in a good way. Very rarely do I ever come across a book that I dislike. I've often come across books that have had more bad then good reviews and found that I quite enjoyed them but with Wrecked I had none of that. When it comes to the description in the writting I had difficulty at times understanding the descriptions and well as figuring out who was talking in the book and found myself going back to re-readI'm gonna be real honest.. I hated this book! For me it had so many wth moments and not in a good way. Very rarely do I ever come across a book that I dislike. I've often come across books that have had more bad then good reviews and found that I quite enjoyed them but with Wrecked I had none of that. When it comes to the description in the writting I had difficulty at times understanding the descriptions and well as figuring out who was talking in the book and found myself going back to re-read parts trying to figure out what the heck had just happend. I felt like it was slow at times when it needed to rush and to fast at the times when more detailing was needed. Sometimes quite honestly I became so bored with it, that I felt like throwing it across the room and never looking back! The whole situation with Miranda's surviving friends as well as school staff and locals was at times exasperating and for me the whole "we hate you despite the fact that it was obviously an accident attitude" quickly got old and annoying. I found it hard to believe that there wasn't one sympathetic soul towards Miranda on the whole entire island, despite the fact that it was proven she had no drugs or alcohol in her system to have caused the accident. The grandmother was downright cruel at times by forcing her to put herself out there in situations where she was constantly belittled and bullied, at times right in front of her because she thought it was the "best way to move forward" WTH!! I could go on all day but moving on to the end I felt like the death of the story villan was way to easy and ridiculous, I mean really? The mighty and powerful sea witch was killed so fast and easily when they threw a few little matches at her and she lit up fast and quickly like she had taken a bubble bath in unleaded that day? WTH! No punches? No action? I was baffled and horribly dissapointed, all I cound think of was that's it?? The end of the story was too blah! So she moved to Arizona never to see the guy that went as far as killing the powerful ruler of the sea to save her and that was it... WTH?? By the looks of the ending I don't think it will have a sequel but I honestly felt cheated out of a good conclusion to this story. What happend to the down below now that Sephie was dead? Who ruled now that she was gone? Could there had been a way to set the souls that Sephie so cruely collected free? Was Christian accepted back without reprecausions since he killed Sephie? So many unaswered question and such a waste of my time. Like I said, I don't think it will have a sequel but if it does, I'm not reading it. ...more

CorrieYes it wasn't hard to kill the sea witch at all. So many powers she has and yet can be killed with matches !!! And yes what about down below? What theYes it wasn't hard to kill the sea witch at all. So many powers she has and yet can be killed with matches !!! And yes what about down below? What the hell happened with the mer people and Christian and valentine? This book was terrible. I read it despite poor reviews because I have loved books with bad reviews before. But this was poorly written and made no sense and was unbelievable that an entire island would hate her!!! What a waste of time!!...more
Jul 14, 2012 10:47AM

RoseCorrie wrote: "Yes it wasn't hard to kill the sea witch at all. So many powers she has and yet can be killed with matches !!! And yes what about downCorrie wrote: "Yes it wasn't hard to kill the sea witch at all. So many powers she has and yet can be killed with matches !!! And yes what about down below? What the hell happened with the mer people and Christia..."

I completely agree with you! I find myself often liking the bad review ones too but this book just plain sucked. I didn't feel like there was any conclusion to it, the ending was rushed and it made no sense....more
Sep 12, 2012 05:38PM

***WILL DEFINITELY CONTAIN FUCKING SPOILERS***This whole ranty review is written on the presumption that this novel is a standalone. If I find out that it has a sequel, I **might*** bump the star rating up one, but that won’t be much improvement. On the whole, I was disappointed in this novel. The gorgeous cover promised a good mermaid story and it just didn’t deliver. Miranda has a wonderful life on the island of Whym until a trThe review is also available on my blog, Bows & Bullets Reviews

***WILL DEFINITELY CONTAIN FUCKING SPOILERS***This whole ranty review is written on the presumption that this novel is a standalone. If I find out that it has a sequel, I **might*** bump the star rating up one, but that won’t be much improvement. On the whole, I was disappointed in this novel. The gorgeous cover promised a good mermaid story and it just didn’t deliver. Miranda has a wonderful life on the island of Whym until a tragic boating accident kills four of her friends and leaves her boyfriend in a coma. After this accident, everyone turns against her. They all blame her because it was her boat and she was driving. This was hard to believe. When I say everyone, I do mean the entire town save her grandmother and her little brother. It’s like they had secret town meetings on how best to humiliate her. I just find it hard to believe that so many rational adults would shun a teenager who is by all rights recovering from her own injuries and grieving the loss of her friends.

Putting that aside, Miranda is saved during the accident by Christian, a betwixted man (a form of merman), who sees her drowning and is so drawn to her that he can’t let her die. After this, the ruler of the merpeople, Sephie, claims that she wanted all the souls and demands Christian kill Miranda and bring back her soul. As you can guess, enter the starcrossed lovers scenario. Christian goes Up Above to attempt to kill Miranda, but just can’t bring himself to do it. The two are instantly attracted to one another and Miranda spends every possible moment with him. This whole thing culminates with Sephie luring the town to her boat for a gala where she plans on killing Miranda and Christian as well as the other survivors from the wreck. Somehow Miranda manages to light Sephie’s boat on fire and the sea witch supposedly burns to death. This all powerful sea witch is taken down by a miniscule teenager? I don’t buy it. Beyond that, Miranda’s grandmother has staged an intervention where they basically tell her that she has gotten out of control and they are shipping her to boarding school. Seriously? Give the girl some time to breathe and heal! All the relationships just seem twisted and unrealistic to me. I was very disappointed.

To make matters worse, it has a terrible ending. Christian was only allowed to roam freely on land to claim Miranda’s soul for Sephie and now must return to the ocean or die. So that’s how it ends, Christian returns to the water and Miranda is off to boarding school in Arizona…far away from the ocean. The fucking end. Yeah, see this face? It’s not a happy gnome face! ...more

Tabitha (Bows & Bullets Reviews)And then I'm sure plenty of people won't walk in. I do want my store to cater to a certain clientele (ie, people like us), but I still want other peopAnd then I'm sure plenty of people won't walk in. I do want my store to cater to a certain clientele (ie, people like us), but I still want other people (ie like Lauren) to come in and find something for themselves. I think the only way I'll survive is to try and please the majority of people who come in the store....more
Jul 07, 2012 01:24PM

First things first: I liked Wrecked, but with every book there are flaws, and this one is full of 'em. It would've been better if these flaws were slight and unnoticeable, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Wrecked is a good enough read. It kept me intereseted; yet, at the same time, it confused me as hell. I liked Miranda, and I felt for her, the pain she goes through, and her struggle to...

First things first: I liked Wrecked, but with every book there are flaws, and this one is full of 'em. It would've been better if these flaws were slight and unnoticeable, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Wrecked is a good enough read. It kept me intereseted; yet, at the same time, it confused me as hell. I liked Miranda, and I felt for her, the pain she goes through, and her struggle to go through her life under the stares, whispers, insults and glares from the people areound her. Her grandma's annoying, but I get that she wants what's best for her grandchild, and I wanted to hug Teddy. I liked Christian, too; unfortunately, we don't know much about him, which is sad since some of the chapters are told from his perspective.

As I read Wrecked I couldn't help but notice that the book doesn't focus primarily on the mermen and their lives and laws; hell, nowhere near close; however, it would've been nice if the author expounded a bit on that area as a favor for people who get so easily confused as I do. No matter, though (I guess). The book also doesn't focus on the other survivors, or how they went through the whole thing. It focuses on Miranda's past, present and future.

The story, too, is slow in some areas, and as fast as lightning in others. It's like, one moment, Christian's yelling for someone to save Miranda, the other, the yacht's on fire, and another, Eleanor is thanking Christian for saving Miranda when she didn't trsut him at the beginning and there is no place in the story where he earned her trust.

The romance was unbelievable. I mean, c'mon! Christian seems like the guy who'd fall in love instantly, from what I know about him, but Miranda, not quite. They barely speak to each other. All they do is swim, kiss, smile and sleep, say "Me luvs yew!" and ask a few questions here and there. That's why the ending came as a complete surprise for me (probably others as well). But at the same time, it was abrupt. It's like, It's like you're watching someone walking on the beach and then poof! they're gone, and you're left with this What the fuck just happened? face and start blinking continuously, wondering if you'd been dreaming or not. Oh, well. I just hope the author wouldn't write a sequel, because that would just ruin it....more

Miranda is a teenage girl who lives with her brother and grandmother on Whim Island, after the loss of both of her parents as a child. She is popular and well-liked, until she’s involved in a tragic boating accident. With the loss of several young lives in the accident, most of the town blames Miranda because she was steering at the time. They are all suspicious as to how she survived. I just found that part of the story a little ridiculous. Every adult on the Island is on the same page and blamMiranda is a teenage girl who lives with her brother and grandmother on Whim Island, after the loss of both of her parents as a child. She is popular and well-liked, until she’s involved in a tragic boating accident. With the loss of several young lives in the accident, most of the town blames Miranda because she was steering at the time. They are all suspicious as to how she survived. I just found that part of the story a little ridiculous. Every adult on the Island is on the same page and blame the accident on her. No one has any sympathy for the poor girl, who has just lost friends too.

She survived the accident because she was actually saved by a merman named Christian. He was breaking rules by surfacing and he was so drawn to her that he couldn’t stop himself from saving her. And only her. I found Christian’s character to be very one dimensional. As much as I tried to like him, I just didn’t connect with him at all throughout the story. As he and Miranda got to know each other and I suppose fell in love, I felt no sparks through the storyline. There wasn’t a significant moment for me where the characters evolved and I desired to know more about them.

The one thing I did like about “Wrecked” was the cover. The photo of Miranda and Christian surrounded by silvery splashes of water and the bright blue title was what drew me into wanting to read it. It’s very eye-catching. I simply wish the characters were a little more developed and like able, so that I could give the story a higher rating. Unless you just have some time to kill and want something light to read, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

deanneluvbooksYes, that is the most amazing cover ever!!! But the story... not so much:( And trust me, with a cover like that, I really tried my hardest to like itYes, that is the most amazing cover ever!!! But the story... not so much:( And trust me, with a cover like that, I really tried my hardest to like it but when my one hand is grabbing my chin and the other is holding the back of my head with such force my neck was going to snap making me face each page wasn't working out too well. So with a regretful sigh I stopped and it was the best feeling ever:) Happy reading....more
Jul 02, 2012 01:10PM

Wrecked is a heavier read than initially expected, our preconceived notions thanks to Disney of under-the-sea tales and merfolk creating a false sense of lightness for us before we pick this story up, and thus we are all the more taken aback when tragedy strikes almost immediately and we’re left with the substantial burden of Miranda’s survivor’s guilt. For most of the three hundred pages Miranda is numb, not actively dealing with her loss or trying to get past it (though this is not entirely heWrecked is a heavier read than initially expected, our preconceived notions thanks to Disney of under-the-sea tales and merfolk creating a false sense of lightness for us before we pick this story up, and thus we are all the more taken aback when tragedy strikes almost immediately and we’re left with the substantial burden of Miranda’s survivor’s guilt. For most of the three hundred pages Miranda is numb, not actively dealing with her loss or trying to get past it (though this is not entirely her own fault), causing that spark of connection we long for when reading to remain elusive, our attempts to penetrate the depth of her pain and find something to relate to ultimately unsuccessful. Wrecked is a bit of a challenging read as a result, our hearts and minds weighed down by the day to day life following a catastrophic event, and while the synopsis promises us a touch of romance to help ease the ache, the rather lackluster relationship between Miranda and Christian detailed between the pages does little lighten our load.

Miranda is a young woman we want desperately to like, the treatment she receives from not only her friends and fellow survivors, but the island community as a whole, enough to make us feel protective of her but not quite enough to send phantom fingers into our reality to grab our hearts in a vise-like grip. She repeats a mantra of “I’m fine” again and again, playing it on a continuous loop inside her head and automatically replying with it when those around her inquire after her well being to the point where our fingers long to wrap around strands of our hair and yank should she say it one more time. She says she’s fine when she’s so very clearly not, and she allows her own guilt over the accident to keep her from fully expressing the extent of her pain to those who have already acted as judge and jury and found her guilty of the deaths of her friends. We can’t help but want for her to just once release the stranglehold she has on her emotions and prove to us and all her naysayers that she’s not as empty as she appears.

Though the premise is certainly a supernatural one, the paranormal element actually plays a very minor role in the overall story. Majority of our time is spent with Miranda as she struggles to cope with the violent turn her life has taken, and when Christian finally does enter the picture, we learn almost nothing about the watery world from which he emerges. We’re given nothing but the very basics about the Down Below and its tentative truce with the Up Above, it's therefore difficult to sympathize with Christian’s plight when we know so little about how his decisions will affect his life overall. The romance doesn’t really begin until about halfway through and then progresses very quickly, leaving us to play catch up as Miranda seems to shift gears from grief and loneliness to magnetic attraction with little hesitation. Those lovers of romance will also likely be disappointed in the conclusion of this story, the traditional happy ending bypassed in favor of something a little different.

Overall, Wrecked is well-written and lacks predictability especially in the closing pages, however, both the character development and world building could have been stronger to help us as readers wade through the torrent of grief by tossing us a life line to latch onto and hold tight.

(Source: I borrowed a copy of this book.)“Whym Island: some things have to be seen to be believed”

17-year-old Miranda is looking forward to chilling out with her friends over the summer before they go their separate ways to college, when disaster strikes.

Driving her boat home with her friends on board, (they live on a small island) a storm sets in suddenly, and her boat gets hit by lightning. Thrown overboard by her boyfriend in an effort to save her, Miranda is drowning when she is saved by the(Source: I borrowed a copy of this book.)“Whym Island: some things have to be seen to be believed”

17-year-old Miranda is looking forward to chilling out with her friends over the summer before they go their separate ways to college, when disaster strikes.

Driving her boat home with her friends on board, (they live on a small island) a storm sets in suddenly, and her boat gets hit by lightning. Thrown overboard by her boyfriend in an effort to save her, Miranda is drowning when she is saved by the mysterious Christian. Unfortunately though her friends aren’t as lucky, and with three friends dead, herself and two others injured and her boyfriend in a coma, the small island community where Miranda lives turns on her.

Struggling just to get herself out of bed in the morning, Miranda is trying and failing to come to terms with what has happened, until she once again meets Christian.

Christian is a ‘Betwixtman’ – kind of like a merman, but he has legs. Christian just couldn’t let Miranda drown when he saw the accident, and now Sephie – the witch of the sea is angry. Christian has deprived her of Miranda’s soul, and she wants it. If Christian doesn’t kill Miranda and bring Sephie her soul within 7 days, then Sephie will take his soul instead. But can Christian really kill Miranda though? Especially when he finds himself falling in love with her.

This is my first mermaid-type book, and I really enjoyed it! It kind-of reminded me a little of ‘the little mermaid’ (the Disney version), with Christian being given a time frame to retrieve what the evil sea-witch wanted. I really liked this storyline though, and it was believable and interesting.

I felt so sorry for poor Miranda. She had had such an awful experience. Not only had three of her friends died, two more been injured, and her boyfriend was brain-dead and in a coma, but she had also been the one driving. Even though the accident wasn’t her fault, the entire school and island treated her like a murderer. She was treated like a total outcast, repeatedly told not to bother people or even look at people, and it was made clear on a daily basis that she wasn’t wanted at her school. This really pushed Miranda to her limits, and her grief, depression, and feeling of helplessness was clearly evident.

Christian felt an instant attraction to Miranda, which didn’t fade with time. Why he ever agreed to a deal with Sephie I don’t know because it was obvious to me that he would never be able to kill Miranda when he previously had been unable to stand back and watch her drown. He did his best to help Miranda rather than anything, and ultimately lost in his dealings with the sea witch.

As much as I liked this book ,I did have a couple of niggles with the story, for a start the blurb began with ‘Secrets of the sea have never been sexier than this’ but in truth there was actually very little romance at all, with the characters only really kissing twice. I also found it quite strange that Miranda claimed she ‘only felt safe whilst swimming’ when she had nearly drowned, and three of her friends actually had drowned!(view spoiler)[ I also thought that in the showdown, Sephie was a little too easy to off – she’s the queen of the sea, and she’s defeated with nothing more than a match? And I’m sorry, but how the hell do you light a room on fire in a boat that is supposedly ‘slowly filling up with water’?I also disliked that there was ultimately no ‘happily ever after’ at the end of this story. I’m just still thinking about how the two of them couldn’t be together!(hide spoiler)]

Ultimately though I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes young adult paranormal romance. I read this book in one sitting and wanted more!9 out of 10.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

WHAT I LIKED: With its beautiful and eerie island setting, Wrecked is easy enough to get into. I love the descriptions of Whym Island's sandy beaches, salty winds, crashing ocean waves, and evening storms. I love all the island superstitions about the sea witch, who turns out to be real. When the boating accident happens, readers can really feel Miranda's survivor guilt and her self-doubt about how the accident happened.

WHAT I LIKED: With its beautiful and eerie island setting, Wrecked is easy enough to get into. I love the descriptions of Whym Island's sandy beaches, salty winds, crashing ocean waves, and evening storms. I love all the island superstitions about the sea witch, who turns out to be real. When the boating accident happens, readers can really feel Miranda's survivor guilt and her self-doubt about how the accident happened.

The sea-lore, the stories of Sephie, and the island superstitions really helped set the story's eerie tone. I love the premise of a "betwixtman" who illegally saves a human girl marked for death and who is given a week to "right his wrong" against the sea witch by killing the girl. I wish the sea lore and history of betwixtmen were better explored; it would have enriched an otherwise unremarkable story.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I struggled with the way Miranda's classmates and teachers treat her after the accident. I can see some kids being openly mean to her; it's high school, after all. But for her teachers, coach, guidance counselor, and principal to isolate her the way they do (one teacher even skips her when handing out tests!), is absolutely not realistic. There is no reason to suspect that Miranda's boating accident was anything but an accident. Miranda's pain is physically obvious--she loses weight, won't eat, has dark circles under her eyes and tangled hair. She's on crutches with a long, red scar twisting its way up her leg. It's clear this young girl is in serious emotional pain, yet no one bothers to be anything but hateful to her. The townspeople even isolate the grandmother and Teddy, who clearly have done nothing wrong. I just don't buy that so many people would be that horrible, even on a small, tight-knit island community.

Miranda's insta-romance with Christian lacks chemistry. I get that Christian is cute and saved her life, but really, shouldn't it bother Miranda that he seems to be homeless, wears the same cargo pants every day (no mention of a shirt), does not attend school or have a family, and doesn't appear to have a last name? Their conversations are stilted, consisting largely of Christian repeating Miranda's questions back to her. Miranda snuggles up to him and sleeps on his chest after they only met a few hours before. The next day, she kisses him out of the clear blue, even as her beloved boyfriend lies comatose in the hospital.

Finally, we come to the editing, which is so poor and sloppy that I found myself paying more attention to errors and inconsistencies than I did to the actual story. Errors in syntax include misplaced quotation marks and at least two instances of "different than" (a pet peeve of mine). When reading dialogue between two characters, I often had to reread passages because I couldn't figure out who was talking or when the speaker stopped talking (end punctuation sometimes missing entirely). In other passages, two paragraphs of dialogue could be from the same character, even though the first paragraph might be only one sentence. Overuse of phrases like "I'm fine" or "it's fine" or simply "Fine" made me roll my eyes every time I saw them, and I groaned every time a character ended a sentence with a question mark. And could we please, please stop shushing each other? As a librarian, I am opposed to shushing in any form, and several characters, especially Christian the Word Wizard, "shh" each other repeatedly.

Editors also missed lots of problems with plot details. For example, during one of her nighttime swims, Miranda is swimming in her bra and panties, but a couple of paragraphs later (in the same scene), she is wearing an old Speedo bathing suit. Christian twice notices the boat Sephie for the first time, and I don't know how Christian's eyesight is sharp enough to see a woman's platinum hairdo and the gilt-painted name on the side of her boat from a long distance. I expect errors when reading ARCs, but I read the publisher's hardcover. How many editors read this book before publication? Why did no one catch such glaring inconsistencies?

THE BOTTOM LINE: Seafarer's lore and Miranda's psychological turmoil in the story's first half are not enough to redeem the rushed romance, syntax errors, and plot inconsistencies of the second half. Not recommended at all.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: So not getting it. If I still taught English, I might use it to demonstrate the importance of good editing.

Quick & Dirty: This book has an interesting premise but fails to deliver it in a satisfying manner, relying heavily on exposition to get the mood across while slowing down the story.

Opening Sentence: In many ways Whym Island is like any of the hundreds of tiny islands dotting the South Carolina coast.

The Review:

I’m going to start out by saying that this book has one of the worst synopses ever. I read it and was totally uninterested in this book, mainly becReview courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This book has an interesting premise but fails to deliver it in a satisfying manner, relying heavily on exposition to get the mood across while slowing down the story.

Opening Sentence: In many ways Whym Island is like any of the hundreds of tiny islands dotting the South Carolina coast.

The Review:

I’m going to start out by saying that this book has one of the worst synopses ever. I read it and was totally uninterested in this book, mainly because it doesn’t sell itself. When I started reading there was so much more they could’ve worked with and chose not to. Maybe it’s because the book’s so short or it could be because the story seems so simple they thought putting hints in the synopsis was a bad idea. Whatever the reason, I have a feeling a lot of readers are going to pass this story up because of everything the back copy doesn’t say.

Soul-stealing sea witch, Atlantis-like sunken world, hidden secrets of Whym Island. All those things are interesting and exciting, while the back copy emphasizes the fact that some of Miranda’s friends died and Christian is a dreamboat. While all the death Miranda’s experienced in her life, her grief definitely dominates her character, but that’s not the entire story.

When Miranda’s boat loses its navigation system just as a storm rolls in, they can’t get around the island to dock. Lightening strikes the boat and jumping becomes their only plan. When her boyfriend Fletch forces her overboard, Miranda and her friends are drowning. Until an arm wraps around her and drags her to the surface, and a body shushes her as he pulls her towards shore. Miranda survives with a massive cut, but four of her friends die and Fletch is in a coma. A coma Miranda knows in her heart he won’t be coming out of. She can’t remember the boy who saved her life, but she can remember his shimmering skin and the way his arms made her feel safe.

Christian, the boy who saves Miranda, has some pretty massive problems of his own. A betwixtman, neither merman or human, saved Miranda on the day of his Surfacing — the night he turned eighteen, a right of passage where he finally became a man — and now has to deal with the consequences. The sea witch Sephie, who the inhabitants of Up Above think of as a local legend, is all too real Down Below. The sea witch is furious Christian lost one of her souls and makes a deal. He can live as long as Miranda’s soul is where it belongs within the week — meaning, as long as Christian kills her. Otherwise she’ll take his soul in her place.

We’re torn between Miranda who’s living with survivor’s guilt, wondering why she’s the one who got to live while Fletch is stuck living on a tube, and Christian who doesn’t want to take back the life he saved. The worlds of Up Above, In Between and Down Below begin clashing as Miranda and Christian find themselves together again.

As I said, the back copy put this book is a disadvantage from the get go because I started the book uninterested. When I start a book with the predisposition it’ll be bleh, I have to wonder how it affects my impression of the overall book. Wrecked didn’t blow me out of the water by any means, I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, which relied heavily on info-dumping to develop the backstory and character relationships. What I was a fan of was the mixture of mythological creatures and an underwater world — Atlantis has always been a favorite myth of mine. The writing and style of this book is really what knocked it down to a two rating, but the story was much more interesting than I originally expected it to be. If you like the current mermaid trend that’s been replacing vampires in YA novels these days, you might like Wrecked. It’s not the best example of a mermaid romance I’ve read this summer, but it’s short and easy to read.

Notable Scene:

“There was a storm. And she was trapped, and I knew it was wrong, but I thought…I thought it would be all right if I saved her,” Christian said in a small voice. The truth was, he hadn’t been thinking at all in the moment that he’d set the girl free, all he knew was that if he hadn’t done something, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself.

Sephie laughed, the noise sounding like a hiss and a bark. “Well, that’s where our miscommunication lies. Because it wasn’t all right that you saved her. I wanted her soul. I wanted all their souls. But I’m letting you off easy,” she said, not letting go of her grip on his arm.

“Thank you,” Christian said.

“I need her soul. I’ll collect the rest in my own time, but he soul is on you. You have one week.”

FTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers provided me with a copy of Wrecked. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review....more

I absolutely cringe when I write a review under 3 stars because I do not like to be negative. I hate it and it goes against my every nature. However I also feel obligated to be honest in reviews since it seems only fair. So as always, I will start with the positives and tactfully point out why I gave it 2 stars. This concept was great, very creative and should have been a breath of fresh air. I love the setting, a quaint little island town with lots fo folklore and legend. (This was appealing foI absolutely cringe when I write a review under 3 stars because I do not like to be negative. I hate it and it goes against my every nature. However I also feel obligated to be honest in reviews since it seems only fair. So as always, I will start with the positives and tactfully point out why I gave it 2 stars. This concept was great, very creative and should have been a breath of fresh air. I love the setting, a quaint little island town with lots fo folklore and legend. (This was appealing for me since I am a huge fan of legend and folklore. My own book is based on local folklore). I do not mind insta-love,(those of you that hate it, do not read this book), however even this manner of insta-love was not believable to me. I was disappointed because I really expected to love this book and it left me wanting. I don't think she gave Miranda and Christian enough interaction, dialogue or even time together. Their scenes felt rushed and forced. In a great romance, I love the thrill I feel when that initial chemistry is ignited, the tingle I get for the first kiss, the excitment built from back and forth flirting, none of that was present here. I just couldn't feel anything between them and I tried super hard to. The plot was a little simple and predictable but I could've lived with that, especially if the romance had been better.I think it is rather unlikely and unbelievable that every person in town hates her, she has no sympathizers and she struggles with self loathing. The entire story was major depressing because of that. You spend a lot of time feeling sad.And lastly, I like my stories with a happy ending, I hate a sad ending, especially to a love story when the book is supposed to primarily be a love story. This story did not have a happy ending, I hated the ending. I was like what???? What was the whole freaking point then? **BUT** having said that, I think it only fair to point out that this is a personal preference and I think every writer should stick to what they feel is right for their story. Kudos to her for having the guts to end it the way she wanted to. It's her own creative work. So that doesn't necessarily make it a bad book, just not right for me. All in all, I have read much worse. I didn't hate it. There were some ok parts. The writing was just ok, definitly room for improvement. It was alright, bit not great....more

Wrecked - that is what this book felt like to me, a wreck. Putting it lightly, I am definitely mincing words here when I say I couldn't find a thing about this book that I enjoyed.

I'll keep my musings short. BEWARE SPOILERS!

Right from the beginning I found Wrecked to have a somber tone and then a few more pages more and it was just downright depressing. There is so much talk of death or suicide, then there is a bunch of death, and then a bunch of pretty much everyone blaming the afore mentionedWrecked - that is what this book felt like to me, a wreck. Putting it lightly, I am definitely mincing words here when I say I couldn't find a thing about this book that I enjoyed.

I'll keep my musings short. BEWARE SPOILERS!

Right from the beginning I found Wrecked to have a somber tone and then a few more pages more and it was just downright depressing. There is so much talk of death or suicide, then there is a bunch of death, and then a bunch of pretty much everyone blaming the afore mentioned deaths on the main character, Miranda. Made it hard to stomach and left me with no desire to carry on by the time I reached 100 pages. Then we throw in this connection between the 'Betwixt man" Christian and Miranda - and I just didn't see anything special there to really intrigue and draw me in.

I could say more but I'm not going to turn this into a bash fest just because it wasn't my cup of tea. So for those of you still curious, here is a review of someone who enjoyed it - maybe I'm just the oddball statistic.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.First of all, if you liked the book and you want no negative comment to impact what brilliant thoughts you had on this masterpiece, don't read this.

You have been warned.

When I first bought this book, I expected an interesting mermaid love tale where the main character would fall for the guy, and the girl would be dragged down to sea, having her legs surgically removed and replaced with a fish's body, where the said couple would have a colony of children and live happily ever after.

I was wrong oFirst of all, if you liked the book and you want no negative comment to impact what brilliant thoughts you had on this masterpiece, don't read this.

You have been warned.

When I first bought this book, I expected an interesting mermaid love tale where the main character would fall for the guy, and the girl would be dragged down to sea, having her legs surgically removed and replaced with a fish's body, where the said couple would have a colony of children and live happily ever after.

I was wrong on most of it. No scratch that, all of it.

Most of the book was spent on depression and a description of a discriminating society which causes me embarrassement for living on the same planet as them, fictional or not. Everyone blames her for the accident which took place and she stays in her room, as a way of dealing with these insults and jabs.

ACCIDENT, being the key word here.

The story doesn't pick up until half the book, where I have to slap myself to stay awake. I willed and bribed myself constantly to finish this book which had caused me an arm. Like literally.

I hated the ending because she doesn’t end up with the guy. They go their own ways with tears shed, hands waved and lips touched, and that’s it.

That's flipping it.

What aggravated me the most was when she moved away 'temporarily'. It shames me to think that someone would take such a cowardly way out of their problems, by upping and moving out, leaving behind them haters. Is that how someone wants to live their life? Living with the fact that best friends backstab them, their family’s image is in my asshole and their boyfriend is rotting in a worn infested grave?

I think not.

Overall, I guess I’m being damn bloody generous with two stars because although the book was depressing, it did have some bright spots, such as the ending....more

Remember when I was going off about never wanting to read a book on mental houses? Well I'd rather read another with a nice cup of tea to go with it. Than reading this book. Why is this character being hated so much? Is Eleanor a cyborg? Even Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy is more capable of showing/having human emotions. The following will basically sum up my thoughts on this book:1. We know close to nothing about this Down Below world or Christian for that matter.2. Almost every character rRemember when I was going off about never wanting to read a book on mental houses? Well I'd rather read another with a nice cup of tea to go with it. Than reading this book. Why is this character being hated so much? Is Eleanor a cyborg? Even Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy is more capable of showing/having human emotions. The following will basically sum up my thoughts on this book:1. We know close to nothing about this Down Below world or Christian for that matter.2. Almost every character remained superficial. 3. The "love" story was nonexistent. And if so highly unbelievable.4. The big bad of this story went down just like that?! Wtf much.5. How did C go from zero to hero in Eleanors eyes? Really?

Excuse my bad grammar and other typpos, it is 4AM so with all due respect deal with it!I had to post this before my mind would reset itself and forget everything about this book.Which took forever to finish, since I found that I had no problem whatsoever to put it down, often. Every other page....more

My main problem with Wrecked was that I didn't connect to any of its characters. The romance was rushed, the focus was not on the fantasy aspect of the book (which I wanted) and the main character was just someone I could not sympathize with. It's a shame, because Wrecked seemed to have it all from the amazing cover and synopsis.

I'm so disappointed that I didn't enjoy Wrecked - it's been on my TBR pile since I first heard about it and I had so much fun interviewing Anna Davies, she's lovely. LMy main problem with Wrecked was that I didn't connect to any of its characters. The romance was rushed, the focus was not on the fantasy aspect of the book (which I wanted) and the main character was just someone I could not sympathize with. It's a shame, because Wrecked seemed to have it all from the amazing cover and synopsis.

I'm so disappointed that I didn't enjoy Wrecked - it's been on my TBR pile since I first heard about it and I had so much fun interviewing Anna Davies, she's lovely. Like I mentioned, my main problem with the book was the lack of connection I had to the characters. I'm not sure what it was, but the whole book felt rushed and as soon as I thought I was getting a handle on someone or something, it was time to move along again.

Miranda is the female lead and I wished that she hadn't succumbed to so many YA cliches. Dead parents? Check. Outcast? Check. As I got deeper into the book I found that I felt her to be quite a 'Mary Sue' character, and that never bodes well with me. Instead of being strong and being able to deal with things, Miranda would constantly change her mind and go running away crying or yelling, taking the story in all these different directions when it would have been beneficial to focus on just the one scenario. Does that make sense? If Miranda had been a fiercer lead, we could have experienced the story in a different light. The story sorely needed focus on some of its aspects, and Miranda could have helped that along if she would just STAY PUT. She also kept saying; 'I'm fine', 'It's fine' and I found myself wondering if Miranda knew how to say anything else but 'fine'.

Christian... I'm afraid I felt nothing for him. Usually I can muster up something to swoon over, but he felt incredibly bland to me. Although his certain brand of mythology - being a 'betwixtman' - could have brought a lot to the story, it wasn't really explored and Christian was somewhat of a cardboard cutout for Miranda to play with. He rescues Miranda, and that's where his appeal ends. He 'fell in love' with her instantly, wanting to sacrifice his duty/life for her and I just didn't find it believable at all. I also had a hard time imagining a merman/betwixtman being called 'Christian' when they don't even speak our language. Same goes for his brother, Valentine.

The relationship between Christian and Miranda wasn't convincing in the slightest. Miranda is still grieving from the accident that killed four of her friends and put her boyfriend, Fletch, into a coma. I found it hard to believe that she was off spending nights on the beach wrapped in some stranger's embrace when her boyfriend was practically a vegetable in hospital. I can understand the need for Miranda to talk to someone; but to fall in love with them instantly? When you know nothing about them or have barely talked? Christian didn't offer much in the 'opening up' department, so I don't know how Miranda could grasp much about him as a 'person'.

Talking about the accident, I want to discuss the fact that none of the anger seemed warranted. Especially from those who were also in the wreck with Miranda - they SAW what happened and knew it wasn't Miranda's fault. A little distance or gossip would be expected, but not the outright 'you've done enough, don't you think?' or blatant blacklisting. Not to mention Fletch's parents not allowing Miranda by his bedside when she was his girlfriend. Yes, Miranda was driving the boat at the time of the accident, but I found it completely unbelievable that nobody on the whole island seemed sympathetic when she was injured and distraught herself.

Also, the identity of Sephie was so obvious I wanted to poke Miranda in the eye.

Basically, Wrecked had a LOT of potential but it followed the well-travelled, boring road of predictable YA. If you're not one for 'insta-love', overused cliches, etc. you might want to steer clear of this one.

Recommended to: If, like me, you've seen some negative reviews but are curious to judge it for yourself, pick up Wrecked. Hopefully you'll enjoy it more than I did....more

I really really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it didn't even come close to my expectations. Miranda is a senior in high school and lives on Whym Island. One night after a beach party, a boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends. Add that to her parents deaths when she was younger and you've got a pretty depressed main character. I also knew nothing about her except that she was an up and coming star soccer player.

Since Miranda's boat caused the accident and she was atI really really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it didn't even come close to my expectations. Miranda is a senior in high school and lives on Whym Island. One night after a beach party, a boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends. Add that to her parents deaths when she was younger and you've got a pretty depressed main character. I also knew nothing about her except that she was an up and coming star soccer player.

Since Miranda's boat caused the accident and she was at the helm when it occurred, everyone she knows abandons her and blames her for the deaths. This was my main gripe about the novel. The outright hatred that Miranda receives by her friends and the islanders isn't believable.

The alternating point of view between Miranda and love interest Christian was intriguing, but even more so than Miranda, I had no idea who Christian was. The only thing he talked or thought about was Miranda or the Sea Witch. There was nothing about his own life. This makes the main characters' instant love (they only see each other for about a week) even less realistic.

I absolutely hate giving a book a bad review, but this book was not good. It was terrible actually. It was so hard to make myself finish it. I try to not quit a book but in this case I should have. I had such high hopes for this book so it was a bit of a disappointment . I am on a mermaid kick right now and wanted this book to be good. There is hardly any in the water or under the water scenes at all. The plot was terrible, there was inconsistencies and poor writing, terrible characters. Mirand

I absolutely hate giving a book a bad review, but this book was not good. It was terrible actually. It was so hard to make myself finish it. I try to not quit a book but in this case I should have. I had such high hopes for this book so it was a bit of a disappointment . I am on a mermaid kick right now and wanted this book to be good. There is hardly any in the water or under the water scenes at all. The plot was terrible, there was inconsistencies and poor writing, terrible characters. Miranda had no backbone whatsoever and her " friends" all acted in what I felt was an unrealistic way after such a tragedy. Every conversation between Miranda and Christian was written so awkward and weird and terrible. There was no real love story here. This was not spellbinding or dark and brooding like other author reviews promised. It was a flop!! I don't recommend reading this book at all. Only 1 star in my opinion....more

This book just got me mad and frustrated. I expected more, it sounded interesting at first but then as I kept reading, I wanted Miranda to do something, to not let people great her badly, to not let them talk about her, she really needed to stand up for herself. And when I thought she would she would just back down and let people boss her around and tell her what to do. I didn't like Gray, she was a bitch, her grandma was the same, but Miranda was okay with it ugh .I guess the only person I kindThis book just got me mad and frustrated. I expected more, it sounded interesting at first but then as I kept reading, I wanted Miranda to do something, to not let people great her badly, to not let them talk about her, she really needed to stand up for herself. And when I thought she would she would just back down and let people boss her around and tell her what to do. I didn't like Gray, she was a bitch, her grandma was the same, but Miranda was okay with it ugh .I guess the only person I kind of liked was Christian, he was okay, yeah he was send to kill Miranda but he chose not to. I also didn't like how this book ended, I thought they would end up together, but no, no happy ending, Miranda in still miserable and lonely with no body and no friends, and she probably never sees Christian again, what the hell ...more

I had very high hopes for this one because it was set in my home state of South Carolina and boy it didn't let me down! I was drawn in the first few pages and then the action and twists kept me reading way into the night. I Loved it although found myself really sad in parts.

Miranda and her brother have worked hard trying to fit in after the tragic death of their parents, on Whym Island where outsiders are not easily taken to. They move in with their grandmother who doesn't really have a clue inI had very high hopes for this one because it was set in my home state of South Carolina and boy it didn't let me down! I was drawn in the first few pages and then the action and twists kept me reading way into the night. I Loved it although found myself really sad in parts.

Miranda and her brother have worked hard trying to fit in after the tragic death of their parents, on Whym Island where outsiders are not easily taken to. They move in with their grandmother who doesn't really have a clue in my opinion...all she is worried about is saving face and not giving the townsfolk anything to gossip about but sadly a boat accident with casualties tosses Miranda into turmoil and the town basically turns against her all except one person...but he's not all he appears to be.......more

The book is about a girl named Miranda who lives on a small island with her tight group of friends, until one night they go out on a boat, causing an accident. From her group of eight, four of her friends die, and the other four (including her) survive. The whole town except for her family blames her since she’d been the one driving the boat. Miranda feels extremely stressed, so she goes out to the beach where she meets Christian, and they bond through the nights.

I’d expected a lot from this booThe book is about a girl named Miranda who lives on a small island with her tight group of friends, until one night they go out on a boat, causing an accident. From her group of eight, four of her friends die, and the other four (including her) survive. The whole town except for her family blames her since she’d been the one driving the boat. Miranda feels extremely stressed, so she goes out to the beach where she meets Christian, and they bond through the nights.

I’d expected a lot from this book, and I went through it really fast just to finish this and get it over with.

The first half of the book is Miranda being hated on by the whole town. Everyone, this includes: teachers, principals, guidance counselors, parents, friends, classmates, younger kids, this list can continue. I found this kind of behaviour extremely immature. Her Coach stopped talking to her immediately, and one teacher didn’t even give her a test during class. Teachers are not allowed to do that. And the thing is there is no proof that Miranda had done anything, despite the fact that she’d been driving the boat when it crashed. Everyone just automatically blamed her.

Miranda goes to the beach at night, but Christian approaches her after we know why he’s there. Since this book is told in third person, we know everything Miranda and Christian go through. I felt really omniscient while reading this book because I already knew everything. During the book if Miranda wondered anything about Christian or what was going to happen, I already knew. This lead to another problem, I could not connect with Miranda. The only thing I could do was feel horrible as she was unfairly shunned.

The nights that they spend together were just okay for me to read. I didn’t really get any emotion from any of the characters perspectives, and I wasn’t really sure where this was supposed to go. The second half of the book held a slight bit of more hope for me than the first half did. But once again, for disappointment.

(view spoiler)[The ending was extremely predicable. There was no building point or climax, and the Sea Witch gets a hold of Miranda for I think . . . a page and a half, another page if you include some interaction between the two, and Miranda hoping Christian would save her. Miranda just tugs herself out from the binds, and she manages to flick a match towards the Sea Witch to burn her, and there: the curse ends. Christian and Miranda don’t even get together in the end, but honestly, I didn’t even care, I was just more disappointed from realizing I read practically nothing. They said goodbye and kissed before Christian could flop like a dead fish up-shore. (hide spoiler)]

The ending theme reflects on Miranda’s inner growth and how she wants to hold stable ground, when I think Miranda was a stable-holding character throughout the book. She still tried her best to fight back against an entire town that was against her. I didn’t share this feeling of “self-realization” or growth.

I don’t know if I could recommend this book to anyone. If you do want to though, give it a try, but don’t expect anything until the second half of the book, which still disappointed me.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Not thinking about actually going into depth about this world of mermaids. Why do I only get to know three sea creatures? Why don't I get any information about how they live? Why don't I know what the sea world looks like? What is the difference between the sea creatures?

Not thinking about actually explaining how certain things work for the sea creatures. Why couldn't he stay on the surface? Why did everyone listen to Sephie?

Not thinking about actuaThe author decided to write a mermaid book.

Not thinking about actually going into depth about this world of mermaids. Why do I only get to know three sea creatures? Why don't I get any information about how they live? Why don't I know what the sea world looks like? What is the difference between the sea creatures?

Not thinking about actually explaining how certain things work for the sea creatures. Why couldn't he stay on the surface? Why did everyone listen to Sephie?

Not thinking about actually giving the male character more personality than 'hot' and 'a mermen'.

Not thinking about actually creating chemistry between the oh so in love teenagers.

Not thinking about actually resolving the family problems the main character faces.

Not thinking about actually solving any of the emotional issues this main character has. Sending her away to a camp and not writing about what she does there doesn't count.

Not thinking about how little character and back story the evil sea witch has. How does she have so much power? Why does she want souls? What does she do with the souls? Why is she evil? ...more

a taste of my thoughts during the bookpg. 140okay. it kind of gets annoying. I hate books where someone has to kill another to save themselves and sometimes many others, but then they fall in love and they just cant bring themselves to do it. So they endure the consequences but somehow escape, being free to live a happy ever after. (or something along those lines)LAAAAARGH!!!!how i hate it! how utterly annoying. before i picked this book up, I had no idea that it would be likeThere are spoilers.

a taste of my thoughts during the bookpg. 140okay. it kind of gets annoying. I hate books where someone has to kill another to save themselves and sometimes many others, but then they fall in love and they just cant bring themselves to do it. So they endure the consequences but somehow escape, being free to live a happy ever after. (or something along those lines)LAAAAARGH!!!!how i hate it! how utterly annoying. before i picked this book up, I had no idea that it would be like that.NOWWWW i can understand why people would give it low ratings. uuuuuugh!!!

3.5 starsOh my GOD!!! That ending broke my heart. It made me EXTREMELY angry and also sad. It made me FURIOUS. how COULD THAT HAPPEN?! I thought this was supposed to be a love story. i thought there was supposed to be a happy ending!!! is there a sequel?! there better be!!!!! what on earth?!!?! How?!!?!?Other than my extreme anger towards the ending, this book was pretty good. it was okay at the beginning, and i didn't like it much, already predicting what was going to happen, but I DIDN'T THINK THAT WOULD BE THE ENDING!?!? okay, I CANNOT get that ending off my mind. ok, there had better be a sequel. I just can't face the fact that there isn't. HUH! terrible.

it wasn't a lot about mermaids, it took place mostly on land. It also was just about her being sad mostly and then like half way through the book, she met Christian. Then it was her and Christian swimming together, then she got angry and scared of him, and then she goes to the sea witch and Christian saves her and says bye and she moves away and BAM! THE END!

to think about it, it was very shocking, as it was different. usually, all the books i read have a happy ending. It was refreshing in a way (a weird sort of aggravating, devastating way), to see the terrible sadness at the end. AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT WAS NEVER TO BE RIGHTED! actually, I was at the last page of the last chapter, where Christian leaves, and I was like WHAT?!! This CANT be the end!?! i thought the page after was acknowledgments, but it wasn't. I was SO relieved when i found the epilogue. it was still sad though. no relief. half way through, i actually thought that he would find a way to live with her and have a happy ever after. guess i was totally wrong. ...more

I wouldn't recomend this to anyone. 200 pages of reading about a whiny heroine that is drowning in all her self-pity, falls in love with a boy in under a week, hates her family when they actually care about her...

You see, I don't want to subject you to that.

And, as for the love interest, Christian, how? How can you love someone enough to give your life for her in under a week?

This is like a Twilighted version of The Little Mermaid with the whole gender reversal I.e. merman and human girl.

It's not that I'm specifically against paranormal and romance (because hey, I did find the Splash movie utterly fun to watch) but generally too much sap with underdeveloped characters and a compromised storyline turns me off.

That being said, those who enjoy living cathartically through said characters may find themselves enjoying this.

I LOVED IT! IT WAS SO GOOD I HAVE TO WRITE THIS WHOLE REVIEW IN CAPS! IT WAS A THRILLING ROMANCE MIXED WITH MAGIC AND CURSES AND A LOVE ONLY BROUGHT TO THE SURFACE BECAUSE OF A WRECK AND THE TWO SOULS DESTINED TO BE TORN APART. IT LEFT ME WANTING MORE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S OVER!!! I NEED MORE!!! i need more!!!!! more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I LOVED IT! IT WAS SO GOOD I HAVE TO WRITE THIS WHOLE REVIEW IN CAPS! IT WAS A THRILLING ROMANCE MIXED WITH MAGIC AND CURSES AND A LOVE ONLY BROUGHT TO THE SURFACE BECAUSE OF A WRECK AND THE TWO SOULS DESTINED TO BE TORN APART. IT LEFT ME WANTING MORE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S OVER!!! I NEED MORE!!! i need more!!!!! more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE

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I was disappointed with this book!Without prattling on, it was poorly edited, had a lot of inconsistencies, and definitely not a fairy tale ending (by the dsecription, I thought there would be).It really had great potential, and I hope Davies fine tunes her story telling in another book! This one just wasn't up to par!